How to Visit the Disneyland Resort
Purchase your tickets well in advance from the online website., Plan your flight and car reservations if needed, as well as your hotel accommodations., Preview the attractions online., Make sure you know the park hours., Pack your belongings prior...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Purchase your tickets well in advance from the online website.
Disneyland is large, so buy multiple-day tickets if you want to experience the whole park and resort area.
However, if you don't plan to visit both parks, there are also options for just single-day visits.
You can buy Disneyland tickets from their official site at https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/. , Hotel accommodations for onsite hotels (such as the historic Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and the Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel) can be made on Disney's Disneyland website when you sign in.
Any offsite accommodation bookings will need to be made separately, and there are many travel websites out there offering deals on air travel, car rental, and hotel stays., There are videos from the point of view of the rider available online for almost all Disney rides.
Check YouTube and other similar resources.
You won't find quite the same video resources for hotels and all Downtown Disney attractions, but you can find descriptions and photographs., Although this will vary by park (and whether or not there's a Early Admission option), the parks are generally open from 9AM to 10PM Pacific Time.
However, some park events will force it to close much earlier or later than that on select nights.
Make sure you plan enough time to see it all.
Your exact trip will vary depending on your goals and the ages/needs of those traveling with you.
However, planning enough time for everything is crucial, if you want to see it all.
If possible, schedule at least one night at each park so that you can experience both of Disneyland's nighttime shows: "Wonderful World of Color" at the Disney California Adventure park and "Remember...Dreams Come True Fireworks Spectacular" at Disneyland.
If the nighttime fireworks aren't being shown, there are still some good light parades twice per night; these run between Fantasyland and a location near the Firehouse on Main Street, USA near the park entrance.
Park maps can be found in their entirety at https://disneyland.disney.go.com/maps/. , Besides your tickets, you'll need some money.
Depending on the weather, you may want sunglasses, a hat, and sunscreen, or perhaps a light rain poncho.
Be sure that your belongings can be tucked away on rides., Anaheim is generally warm, but can have most misty-foggy summer mornings.
Rain is rare but can be intense when it comes., If you are staying at an offsite hotel in Anaheim, there is the Anaheim Resort Transportation that is offered from many of hotel chains that is offered for more than half off the cost of parking near Disneyland.
However, if you are coming from elsewhere or just plan on parking with your own car, Disneyland has their own parking structure just to the west of the Disneyland Resort and to the West of Downtown Disney.
The address to the parking structure is 1313 S Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA
92802.The cost to park your car at this park is about $17, and even more for different types of vehicles., The tram will take you from the west side (parking lot entrance/exit) to the east entrance just before the bag check area nearest the walkway that connects the two parks.
However, if you'd like to walk to the park, you can take a walking path through Downtown Disney that will lead to this same entrance, or to the monorail which you can take you and your fellow guests from Downtown Disney into the park (with at least a valid park ticket (for first time entry) and ticket with hand stamp (for re-entry if you choose to leave and come-back)). , Some rides offer FastPasses (which at Disneyland still come in the form of a paper ticket), but others don't, so plan and prioritize accordingly.
Some attractions will be more swamped than others, so if you really want to ride a crowded one that doesn't offer a FastPass, head there right away to beat the crowd and make sure you get in, or aim for a less busy time.
Some rides in Disneyland come with warnings against riding them if you are pregnant or have health problems, but most are fairly safe and kid-friendly.
At Disney California Adventure, however, attractions tend to be faster paced and induce more motion sickness.
Not all rides there are appropriate for young children. , At intervals throughout the day, you may want to take a break from lining up and riding the fast rides.
Some of this downtime can be spent at some of the entertainment options around the parks.You can also enjoy the dining options, as well as shopping locations.If you are staying on site at a Disneyland hotel, they can deliver your purchases to you at the hotel, later on. , Such attractions here include Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Enchanted Tiki Room (with it's incomparable Dole Whip stand) and Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean (with it's triple flumes that the Florida attraction can't match) and other special effects) and the Haunted Mansion attractions among the many other rides here that almost line up to those found in Disney's Magic Kingdom in Florida., This park tends to be forgotten until you have seen some of the attractions they offer here.
If you've ever visited the parks in Florida and see that there's a wealth of rides that aren't offered in Disneyland, chances are a similar or comparable ride will be offered at Disney's California Adventure park here.
In Disney's California Adventure park, you'll find rides such as California Screamin as well as MIckey's Fun Wheel (ferris wheel with some twists that make it unique), Radiator Springs Racers, Toy Story Midway Mania, Turtle Talk with Crush, Soarin Aroun the World and Muppet Vision 3D among the many excellent attractions here and even some unique rides near Paradise Pier that not even any other park would even plan to offer but show's the values of this beautiful state of California., This area is outside the Disneyland parks and doesn't require a ticket for entry.
It offers a wealth of shops, as well as an AMC movie theatre and restaurants, including the popular wildlife-themed Rainforest Café.
There are also lots of souvenir shops. -
Step 2: Plan your flight and car reservations if needed
-
Step 3: as well as your hotel accommodations.
-
Step 4: Preview the attractions online.
-
Step 5: Make sure you know the park hours.
-
Step 6: Pack your belongings prior to leaving for the parks.
-
Step 7: Dress to suit the weather.
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Step 8: Park onsite.
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Step 9: Take the tram from the parking structure to the park.
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Step 10: Prioritize your rides that are "must-dos".
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Step 11: Take some downtime between riding attractions.
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Step 12: Specialize in riding attractions that are more commonplace to every American by riding the attractions at Disneyland.
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Step 13: Visit the faster attractions and sometimes forgotten rides at Disney's California Adventure.
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Step 14: Do some shopping at Downtown Disney.
Detailed Guide
Disneyland is large, so buy multiple-day tickets if you want to experience the whole park and resort area.
However, if you don't plan to visit both parks, there are also options for just single-day visits.
You can buy Disneyland tickets from their official site at https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/. , Hotel accommodations for onsite hotels (such as the historic Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and the Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel) can be made on Disney's Disneyland website when you sign in.
Any offsite accommodation bookings will need to be made separately, and there are many travel websites out there offering deals on air travel, car rental, and hotel stays., There are videos from the point of view of the rider available online for almost all Disney rides.
Check YouTube and other similar resources.
You won't find quite the same video resources for hotels and all Downtown Disney attractions, but you can find descriptions and photographs., Although this will vary by park (and whether or not there's a Early Admission option), the parks are generally open from 9AM to 10PM Pacific Time.
However, some park events will force it to close much earlier or later than that on select nights.
Make sure you plan enough time to see it all.
Your exact trip will vary depending on your goals and the ages/needs of those traveling with you.
However, planning enough time for everything is crucial, if you want to see it all.
If possible, schedule at least one night at each park so that you can experience both of Disneyland's nighttime shows: "Wonderful World of Color" at the Disney California Adventure park and "Remember...Dreams Come True Fireworks Spectacular" at Disneyland.
If the nighttime fireworks aren't being shown, there are still some good light parades twice per night; these run between Fantasyland and a location near the Firehouse on Main Street, USA near the park entrance.
Park maps can be found in their entirety at https://disneyland.disney.go.com/maps/. , Besides your tickets, you'll need some money.
Depending on the weather, you may want sunglasses, a hat, and sunscreen, or perhaps a light rain poncho.
Be sure that your belongings can be tucked away on rides., Anaheim is generally warm, but can have most misty-foggy summer mornings.
Rain is rare but can be intense when it comes., If you are staying at an offsite hotel in Anaheim, there is the Anaheim Resort Transportation that is offered from many of hotel chains that is offered for more than half off the cost of parking near Disneyland.
However, if you are coming from elsewhere or just plan on parking with your own car, Disneyland has their own parking structure just to the west of the Disneyland Resort and to the West of Downtown Disney.
The address to the parking structure is 1313 S Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA
92802.The cost to park your car at this park is about $17, and even more for different types of vehicles., The tram will take you from the west side (parking lot entrance/exit) to the east entrance just before the bag check area nearest the walkway that connects the two parks.
However, if you'd like to walk to the park, you can take a walking path through Downtown Disney that will lead to this same entrance, or to the monorail which you can take you and your fellow guests from Downtown Disney into the park (with at least a valid park ticket (for first time entry) and ticket with hand stamp (for re-entry if you choose to leave and come-back)). , Some rides offer FastPasses (which at Disneyland still come in the form of a paper ticket), but others don't, so plan and prioritize accordingly.
Some attractions will be more swamped than others, so if you really want to ride a crowded one that doesn't offer a FastPass, head there right away to beat the crowd and make sure you get in, or aim for a less busy time.
Some rides in Disneyland come with warnings against riding them if you are pregnant or have health problems, but most are fairly safe and kid-friendly.
At Disney California Adventure, however, attractions tend to be faster paced and induce more motion sickness.
Not all rides there are appropriate for young children. , At intervals throughout the day, you may want to take a break from lining up and riding the fast rides.
Some of this downtime can be spent at some of the entertainment options around the parks.You can also enjoy the dining options, as well as shopping locations.If you are staying on site at a Disneyland hotel, they can deliver your purchases to you at the hotel, later on. , Such attractions here include Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Enchanted Tiki Room (with it's incomparable Dole Whip stand) and Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean (with it's triple flumes that the Florida attraction can't match) and other special effects) and the Haunted Mansion attractions among the many other rides here that almost line up to those found in Disney's Magic Kingdom in Florida., This park tends to be forgotten until you have seen some of the attractions they offer here.
If you've ever visited the parks in Florida and see that there's a wealth of rides that aren't offered in Disneyland, chances are a similar or comparable ride will be offered at Disney's California Adventure park here.
In Disney's California Adventure park, you'll find rides such as California Screamin as well as MIckey's Fun Wheel (ferris wheel with some twists that make it unique), Radiator Springs Racers, Toy Story Midway Mania, Turtle Talk with Crush, Soarin Aroun the World and Muppet Vision 3D among the many excellent attractions here and even some unique rides near Paradise Pier that not even any other park would even plan to offer but show's the values of this beautiful state of California., This area is outside the Disneyland parks and doesn't require a ticket for entry.
It offers a wealth of shops, as well as an AMC movie theatre and restaurants, including the popular wildlife-themed Rainforest Café.
There are also lots of souvenir shops.
About the Author
James Armstrong
Specializes in breaking down complex cooking topics into simple steps.
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